Christmas Tree – A Concise History

I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this e-mail message I received from my sister, but this is a fascinating story behind the Christmas tree. Feel free to correct any of mis-information here. Enjoy!

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     Nothing says Christmas like an evergreen tree. Of all the symbols of the holiday, it is the one we see most often. The story of the tree is one we should not just know but also share. Without this understanding, putting up the tree might just become another unwelcome chore rather than an exercise in love and faith. For your holidays to be full, rich, and rewarding, you need to shine a new light on your tree....

      Long ago evergreens were held in awe by Viking warriors. These powerful men knew winters that were long and harsh, in which many living things did not survive. During these bleak days, almost all plant life ceased to exist, and many animals starved to death. Stranded outdoors, a man could freeze to death. Yet in these horrid conditions, the evergreen not only survived; it thrived. Its vitality was so great, it seemed nothing could harm it. Because of that unique strength, the tree was seen as a source of mystery and power. Vikings prayed to their gods that they could be as strong and resilient as the fir tree.
When early Christian missionaries began explaining faith to these feared warriors, they used the evergreen as an example of God's undying love. They told the Vikings that even in their bleakest and darkest days, Christ would be with them. Their faith, like the evergreen, would survive every test. By putting this Christian lesson into a visible context, the missionaries helped thousands understand the love of God and the sacrifice of his Son. Yet the symbol of the evergreen and its tie to faith were not limited to Scandinavia.

     In the seventh century Saint Boniface, an English missionary, came across a trio of men gathered around a huge oak tree in central Europe. One man was holding a small boy who had been chosen as a sacrifice to the god Thor. Boniface raced up to the old tree and struck the trunk with his fist. The mighty oak shuddered and fell to the ground. As the dust settled, a tiny fir tree became visible just behind where the oak had stood. Boniface pointed to that little sprout and explained that the evergreen was the Tree of Life and stood for the eternal salvation offered by Christ. He also pointed to the triangular shape of the fir tree and explained that the three points represented the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Over the centuries, Boniface's "sermon" would be used thousands of times by missionaries all over the world. Long before the printing press was invented, the evergreen became the first Christian "tract" used in witnessing....

     Knowing the way the evergreen was used to help lead the lost to faith can help keep your focus on the real reason why we celebrate Christmas. Every Christmas tree you see will be a reminder of the power of faith. That alone should make viewing Christmas trees a much more moving experience. Through sharing this story with your family and friends, you will spread the special, original meaning of the Christmas tree, which is the evergreen's connection to missionary work and reaching out to others. In fact, if your tree becomes a symbol of a love that will not die, it can be one of the greatest reminders of the gift God gave us in that humble manger. Furthermore, this understanding will create a door to sharing that good news with others....

To get the most out of your Christmas tree, don't look at it as a sideshow; see it as a treasure with special meaning for the season. Let the trimming of the tree open the vault to stories of past holidays. Create new memories that will live on for future generations. You might even sing a verse of the wonderful old carol about this great holiday tradition.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy leaves are green forever.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy beauty leaves thee never.
Thy leaves are green in summer's prime,
Thy leaves are green at Christmas time.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy leaves are green forever.

Source: Unknown

Unusual Words

Adoxography - Skilled writing on an unimportant subject

Gargalesthesia -  The sensation caused by tickling

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian - Pertaining to extremely long words (Bruce's note: that's pretty obvious here...)

Oculoplania - Letting one's eyes wander while assessing someone's charms

I bet you don't know those words! Go to Unusual Words to find many more of those words and impress your colleagues, professors, or even your parents!

Happy spelling!

More Fun Christmas Facts!

The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany in 1531.

The poem commonly referred to as "The Night Before Christmas" was originally titled "A Visit From Saint Nicholas." This poem was written by Clement Moore for his children and some guests, one of whom anonymously sent the poem to a New York newspaper for publication.

The popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called "One-Horse Open Sleigh."

The real St. Nicholas lived in Turkey, where he was bishop of the town of Myra, in the early 4th century. It was the Dutch who first made him into a Christmas gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.

Jesus Christ, son of Mary, was born in a cave, not in a wooden stable. Caves were used to keep animals in because of the intense heat. A large church is now built over the cave, and people can go down inside the cave. The carpenters of Jesus' day were really stone cutters. Wood was not used as widely as it is today. So whenever you see a Christmas nativity scene with a wooden stable -- that's the "American" version, not the Biblical one.

Originally, Christmas decorations were home-made paper flowers, or apples, biscuits, and sweets. The earliest decorations to be bought came from Nuremburg in Germany, a city famous for the manufacture of toys. Lauscha in Germany is famous for its glass ornaments. In 1880, America discovered Lauscha and F.W. Woolworth went there and bought a few glass Christmas tree ornaments. Within a day he had sold out so next year he bought more and within a week they, too, had sold. The year after that be bought 200,000 Lauscha ornaments. During the First World War supplies of ornaments from Lauscha ceased, so American manufacturers began to make their own ornaments, developing new techniques that allowed them to turn out as many ornaments in a minute as could be made in a whole day at Lauscha.”

Pearls Before Breakfast

I ran across this fascinating story of an acclaimed violist named John Bell who played in DC Metro at L'Enfant Plaza for free - all a part of an experiment by Washington Post to see if anyone appreciates music in midst of a rush hour traffic. Although this story is a bit long and is written like a novel, this is worth the read. Here's the link:

John Bell's performance at L'Enfant Plaza

This story reminded me of how people acted two thousand years ago during Christmas when Jesus - Israel's long-awaited Messiah - arrived as an infant. Only few people noticed; many probably walked past the stable because they were too busy. May we not become too busy and walk by Jesus' birthday without pausing and admiring the arrival of our King!

Fun Christmas Facts

Since Christmas is approaching, I thought I would get you into the spirit of Christmas. I will be posting a few fun Christmas facts from now and then to help you see different meanings within symbolisms and how Christmas has evolved over the history. Enjoy!

“The "Twelve Days of Christmas" was originally written to help Catholic children, in England, remember different articles of faith during the persecution by Protestant Monarchs. The "true love" represented God, and the gifts all different ideas:

The "Partridge in a pear tree" was Christ.
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity-- the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which relays the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of Creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

The best selling Christmas trees are Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Balsam fir and white pine.

The Christmas turkey first appeared on English tables in the 16th century, but didn't immediately replace the traditional fare of goose, beef or boar's head in the rich households.

The custom of singing Christmas carols is very old - the earliest English collection was published in 1521.

The first Christmas card was created in England on December 9, 1842.

New York City's Empire State Building's world famous tower lights are turned off every night at midnight with the exception of New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and St. Patrick's Day, when they are illuminated until 3 a.m.”